Gutting my birds; transplanting their organs

[Captain El Ephant]

Im new to the world or drones and i'm fascinated to say the least. i bought a Mavic Air, then after that the Mavic pro 2 , and then i got too curious and bought the Spark, and Tello (tello i gave to my friend because i could see that he really liked it) Anyway, i bought all four because they don't sell them in the country where i will be residing in a couple of weeks. It should have occurred to me that the reason they don't sell them is because they are prohibited. Ha

Anyway, on a completely different topic, and no way related to the paragraph above. I want to remove the internals, and the most important parts of my drones and print new shells for them at a later date. The shells could be clones or not, i'm thinking maybe i should attempt a Mavic Pro 2 system in Mavic Air (clone) shell swap if possible with the benefits being the smaller size of the Air but i haven't put much thought into it yet. Please ignore my ignorance as i have only experienced the drone world for a couple of weeks and know very little to nothing about these little flying computers.

I want to add that i am very nervous about this transplant and understand the risks i'm taking from Warranty, to the risk it poses to other people on the ground, and the cost of failure to my wallet and will fly them accordingly and not with confidence of the originals. I am going to complete this project either way; i'm going to take lots of time with it. I'm going to try my best. The only reason i joined a DJI forum is because i really need some advice, and help from the knowledgable members on here. i know that its not a great idea, but i have no other choice. And at least you guys might benefit from the pictures and information gathered during the process. and if it doesn't work out too well for me, at least you'll know what not to do. Thanks guys

Thanks guys.

I want add that i can do without the anticollision sensor and lights, the different flight options and camera settings. I would be happy with a drone that could record with its original camera, that i can fly around using the live feed. Im sure youll all agree that half a Mavic is better than no mavic.

Any and all criticism and comments are greatly appreciated and will help me with this problem. This project is out of necessity and not for fun. Thanks guys

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[DanMan32]

There's no way the needed parts to fly on an M2 will fit in an Air body.
So many other interdependent factors as well.

Even if you could make the physical Frankenstein monster, you'd need to make software parameter setting changes to account for the change in aerodynamics.

 

[Captain El Ephant]

There's no way the needed parts to fly on an M2 will fit in an Air body.
So many other interdependent factors as well.

Even if you could make the physical Frankenstein monster, you'd need to make software parameter setting changes to account for the change in aerodynamics.

Hey DanMan 32, thanks the insight, i really do appreciate it. What i forgot to add were my questions regarding this project.

So what you're saying is that i need identical clones to the originals in order for it to work. Does that include include identical weight distrobution?

Im thinking that i can use photogrammetry/ or a 3d scanner to clone the body to an almost identical shape. And my guess is that the shell is evenly balanced. Further, weight distribution can be manipulated but how do i measure weight distribution in the first place.

Could you also clarify for me which other interdependent factors are problematic. Thanks DanMan32

 

[Captain El Ephant]

Well I have built quite a few gps drones from generic Chinese parts. I don't think weight distribution that critical, flight controller will compensate. I would not year apart a good m2 for this project, bet rather he a couple older m pros. If you can get the boards in it will fly. But then what do know?

Hi DanMan. How did those GPS drones that you built turn out compared to a DJI Mavic? Was the range comparable?
Anyway DanMan, i have to tear down the birds, The country i'm traveling to has very contradicting policies regarding drones. Not allowed to be sold or flown in public, yet allowed to fly on my own property. Bringing a built drone through the airport would have it confiscated. Removing it from its shell would no longer make it a drone, and thats the loophole which i will enter through. Ill print the shell later. I already bought the drones so i have no choice, besides, from what i've seen on youtube teardown videos, the M2 is far less complicated to tear down than the M1.

Thanks for the advice on the weight distribution, now i have more options regarding which plastic i will use in the 3d printer. I hope you don't mind me messaging you if i run into any problems i have during the rebuild, i could definitely benefit from your experience building GPS drones.

On another note. The amount i've learned about these drones in one day on this forum far exceeds what i've learned using my own resources. Its just amazing

 

[Harro]

Why not just disassemble them to bring them into the country and then re-assemble the drones when convenient? A few file marks, 3d printed attachments would render it different from the "bought" versions.

 

[Captain El Ephant]

Why not just disassemble them to bring them into the country and then re-assemble the drones when convenient? A few file marks, 3d printed attachments would render it different from the "bought" versions.

I thought of that, and i'm going to reconsider doing that. Im afraid that the shells would be recognized easily, causing them to look further into my luggage, whereas motherboards and electronics would be harder to identify

 

[GadgetGuy]

I thought of that, and i'm going to reconsider doing that. Im afraid that the shells would be recognized easily, causing them to look further into my luggage, whereas motherboards and electronics would be harder to identify

Travel with the guts as you originally planned, and just send the empty shells separately by themselves before or after. Nothing else for them to find, if they look further.

 

[Captain El Ephant]

Travel with the guts as you originally planned, and just send the empty shells separately by themselves before or after. Nothing else for them to find, if they look further.

As simple as that. Thats a great plan.
I wonder if they'd freak out over the shells?

 

[GadgetGuy]

As simple as that. Thats a great plan.
I wonder if they'd freak out over the shells?

What's to freak out about?
You are a shell collector!
Just completely harmless pieces of plastic!
The guts are another story!